Excavating Hope, Hoping for a Saviour
by Emiliya Wolfe
Summary: After the war, Padma is free to pursue her childhood dream: finding new worlds and fantastical civilisations. Only now, she's also searching for a cure. A cure to help Parvati snap out of herself after the Battle of Hogwarts. Loosely based collection of Archaeologist!Padma fics.
1. Lost Atlantis (a search for hope)

**QLFC round 9:** **Hoops: Write about someone meeting a goal.**

 **Duelling Club - Cherrywood wand: (character) Parvati Patil, (word) Method, (dialogue) '"Don't give up." That's not as easy as it sounds.'**

 **Hogwarts - History of Muggles, Task 2b - Write about someone discovering a world or place. Extra credit: write about a lost civilisation.**

 **Roald Dahl Day - write about someone searching.**

 **Optional prompts:** **Spot, promise, plan, gentle, building, steam, end, pull, use, head.**

 **Random Character Challenge: Padma Patil**

 **Betaed by The Lady Rogue, The Kawaii Neko, BlueRubyBeat.**

 **2,474 words**

* * *

Padma had always been the overlooked twin. The studious one. The one whose attention always seemed to be elsewhere. She knew what people whispered about her; that she always had her head in the clouds, that she sometimes seemed as loony as Lovegood. In her fifth year, her classmates had gossiped about why _she_ had received the position of Prefect, instead of someone more outgoing, more assertive.

But Padma couldn't care less.

Her eyes were turned not to the world in front of her, like her sister Parvati, but to the world as it once was. What did Hogwarts look like, upon its construction? Would she recognise London, if she were sent back two thousand years? Her closest glimpse of unknown civilisations until this moment had been when she had spoken to Ronald Weasley about the mer-colony under the Black Lake. They had been there for centuries before the founding of Hogwarts.

Until today.

It was the eighteenth day aboard the Lovely Lady, and she was starting to think that they would have to turn back. She had been diving all around the coast of Portugal, hoping to find the remnants of Atlantis.

The Muggles thought Atlantis was a myth, invented by one of their philosophers to describe an ideal world. Wizard-kind knew better. Somehow, at one point in history, merpeople had bred with wizards and had given birth to a new kind of people - ones that were as at home underwater as they were on the surface.

People used to go to them for advice, for they were the best scholars in the world - quick to question and slow to anger, with not a single prejudiced bone in their bodies. However, war and witch hunting had driven them below the surface, vowing never to return to the world that had rejected them unless that world had proved that it had changed.

And it had changed. Padma was determined to prove that, just as she was determined to prove that this legendary civilisation had not dwindled into oblivion. Voldemort had been vanquished, wizards had found a way to live peacefully among Muggles, and where that was not possible, to hide themselves from them.

If only the Atlanteans were still around today, Padma was sure that the prejudice that had clouded the wizarding world would never have permitted Voldemort's rise to power. If they had still been around, then Parvati would never have lost her best friend.

Padma shook herself out of her introspective state. She would need to be on high alert if she was to find Atlantis today. Donning her water repellant clothing, complete with all of the heating charms necessary for deep sea diving, she examined her supply of Gillyweed.

It was running low, one of the reasons she would have to call a halt to their voyage and declare it a failure if she didn't find Atlantis soon, though that was not a conversation she was looking forward to having with the captain. She knew the Bubblehead Charm, of course, but it wasn't nearly as effective as the overlooked plant.

With a sigh, she secured the Gillyweed in her pocket and stepped out of her cabin.

Almost immediately, she was met with the cool sea breeze, just powerful enough to lift her braid from her back. The crew were busy with their tasks - there was never an idle moment on a ship - and Charlie Weasley was patiently waiting at the prow, already harnessed with his rope. He noticed her as soon as she did him, despite his ginger hair blowing into his eyes, and they met under the rigging.

'Today's the day,' he said confidently. 'I can feel it. All your maps have indicated that this is where we are most likely to find them. If they're anywhere, they'll be here.'

'Let's hope so,' Padma simply replied. 'Have you got your camera?'

Charlie patted his chest, where a Mokeskin pouch was tucked into his wetsuit.

'No Atlantean creature will get past me,' he promised. 'I have eyes like a hawk from watching for Danish Flutterwings. Those dragons are as tiny as fairies, but Merlin can they pack that fiery breath.'

Padma laughed, but the mention of dragons struck a chord in her mind.

'Remind me to introduce you to an acquaintance of mine when we get back,' she said, fondly remembering Luna Lovegood, whose interest in rare creatures rivalled Padma's fascination with civilisations. They had had a good debate or two at the Ministry cafeteria when their lunch breaks coincided. She thought Luna would love to hear about dragons as small as fairies.

'That would require you to abandon your hermit-like ways,' Charlie joked, nudging Padma so she knew not to take it to heart. 'Over two weeks on this voyage and a month planning it beforehand, and I feel like I barely know you.'

With a pang of guilt, Padma realised that she had locked herself away for most of their travels, emerging only to give directions for a new course, or to ask the crew about any rumours from these parts of the sea. Not for the first time, she wished that Parvati could have come with her, to liven up her spirits if nothing else, but Parvati was but a shadow of her former self.

The war had hit her sister hard. She spent most of her time taking walks with Firenze in the Forbidden Forest, trying to divine what life had in store for her from the stars. Padma could only hope that the Atlanteans had some wisdom they could impart on the subject.

'Don't give up hope yet,' Charlie said gently, and Padma realised that she had taken too long in her response.

'"Don't give up." That's not as easy as it sounds,' Padma replied humorlessly.

After all, her whole family had given up. First her sister losing hope, then her parents had moved back to India, unable to handle the aftermath of the war, leaving Padma to take care of Parvati. It would be so simple, if Padma could just let go of this dream, the one she had fought so hard to keep, but so far had only brought her grief.

An image of Parvati's face, smiling for the first time in years, came unbidden to her mind. She _would_ find the Atlanteans. And they _would_ help her sister get better.

'Let's do this,' she said abruptly, clearing all melancholy from her mind.

Charlie gave a short nod, sensing her change in mood, and pinched his nose as he gulped down the Gillyweed. Padma took a moment to secure the rope to her own harness before taking a mouthful of her own stock, trying to ignore the slimy texture that she would never get used to.

Once she felt the last tendrils slither down her throat, her breath hitching, she put her goggles on and nodded. Charlie signalled the captain, who called to the crew to periodically search the waters for them upon their return, and adjusted his own goggles. The first time they had dived, Padma had almost been pulled back under by the current, and they had barely got a length of rope to her in time. Now they were more careful.

Committing the sun's warmth on her skin to memory, Padma dived, the Gillyweed guiding her instincts. The water was icy cold, and she knew that it would have taken her breath away if she had used the Bubblehead Charm.

Kicking with her legs felt as natural as walking, and Padma set about with her usual method - exploring as deep as she dared. By all accounts, Atlantis could be found halfway between the reef and the surface, trapped in its own little bubble that fish bypassed with ease. According to most scholars, the city was protected by the same sort of spells that most wizarding places used to keep Muggles out, but Padma wasn't so sure. If it were that easy, then wizards would have found the Atlanteans by now.

So she had taken extra precautions. One of the reasons she had struck up a friendship with Luna was because the younger woman could see things others couldn't. Many said it was her imagination, but Padma's instinct told her otherwise. Luna had agreed to ask her father about the spells he placed on her Spectrespecs, and less than three days later had given Padma a slew of spells to learn. Those spells were now placed upon the two divers' goggles, not that Charlie had needed any. His naturally keen senses, honed by his time as a Seeker, helped him notice magical disruptions.

 _The two of them really are alike,_ Padma thought to herself. Parvati would want to set them up, if she took an interest in that sort of thing anymore. The old Parvati would have, anyway. Maybe when she got back, Padma would coax her sister into caring about this sort of thing again. The worst that could happen was that Charlie and Luna would have a nice conversation about magical creatures.

Just then, a glimmer caught her eye, a distortion of the sun's reflection.

 _It's probably just the water breaking up the light_ , she told herself. _That's what it was the thirty other times you thought you saw something._ Apart from that one time she accidentally swam into an anglerfish.

Remembering the incident with a shudder, Padma drew her wand to be on the safe side. Still, her treacherous heart started beating erratically, and her feet kicked overzealously towards the occurrence.

Now that she looked more closely, she could see a crack in the water, as if it were made of glass. Experimentally, she pushed away, sending waves towards the weakness. Spiderwebs of light snaked outwards, but the glow faded nearly as soon as the water settled.

Excitedly, Padma sent red sparks in all directions. It was the agreed upon symbol — easy to cast, and easy to spot. Within minutes, Charlie was by her side, spotting the crack almost instantly. A string of bubbles flew from his mouth and he gesticulated, obviously forgetting that she couldn't hear him underwater.

Patiently, Padma tapped her ear, shaking her head for emphasis. Eventually, he realised that his movements were fruitless, and his hands fell to float mid-water, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Padma would have rolled her eyes, were she not fearful of dislodging her goggles.

Charlie's blush soon faded though, and he motioned for Padma to link her harness to his own. They had discussed the possibilities of finding the Atlanteans and the creatures that lived on their island, hoping, but not expecting, to happen upon them.

Padma had spent days in the Space room in the Department of Mysteries searching for a way to slip through the wards without actually breaking them. No one knew whether the pressure of broken wards would destroy Atlantis, because no one knew whether they lived in a bubble of air or water. In the end, her boss had given her a device that absorbed the magical signature needed to bypass the wards and extended it to everything that came into direct contact with it. In exchange, he had given her six months to find Atlantis or shelve the mystery for another ten years. In his mind, there were more important things to work on.

Now, Padma was holding onto Charlie as tightly as she dared, while he took the device out of his Mokeskin pouch. It was small and unassuming. Anyone else might have mistaken it for a pocket watch, but as Charlie pressed it to the wards' weakness, it latched onto the unseen surface with spider-like legs. Padma could see it grow red hot in the water - the reason why Charlie was handling it and not her - and steam bubbled up around it.

Without warning, the device suddenly shot forward, dragging Charlie by the tips of his fingers, and jerking Padma along by extension. She was glad they'd had the idea of linking their harnesses - the unexpected movement had jerked Charlie's body from her grasp. The sensation was not unlike Apparition, Padma mused, as her stomach had trouble following the rest of her body. However, her thoughts quickly turned elsewhere once she drank up the sight before her.

Within touching distance stood a great arch, perfectly rounded, supported by intricate pillars on each side, and beyond that lay something that looked like an aqueduct, though Padma instinctively realised that it was a bridge to the city beyond.

The city itself was breathtaking. She could see no form of life, and she suspected that was because they had not yet entered through the gateway, but the view alone was worth all of her work up until that moment.

Tall, grey pillars marked entrances to buildings, not unlike Greek architecture, but everything was curved, rounded so that she could not see where one stone stopped and another started. Light shone from large window-like holes, though she imagined that there were no panes to separate the life within from that without. Patches of mossy seaweed grew here and there, but all the plants that touched the buildings appeared to have been transformed into intricate patterns, enhancing their aesthetic.

The city scaled in size, rising upwards to what looked like a cross between an amphitheatre and a colloseum. Padma imagined the debates taking place, the peaceful resolutions, the schooling of young minds. Briefly, she thought that it was a Ravenclaw's paradise, though the thought that she would have nowhere to put her books crossed her mind.

As she took a step forwards, Padma was immediately aware of a change in the water around her. It seemed lighter, thinner, like the humid air of a night before a thunderstorm. It felt neither hot nor cold, but more like the temperature of a cool summer's eve. Experimentally, she removed her goggles and realised that she could see perfectly, as though she were above ground, though when she touched a hand to her neck, the gills were still there.

'It's some kind of cross between air and water,' she said softly, not realising she spoke aloud. 'I feel as though my gills and my lungs are working in synchronisation.'

'What kind of magic was lost with these people?' a deep voice asked from behind her, and Padma realised it was Charlie.

She turned to him in surprise.

'You could hear me? The water really is thinner than I initially thought,' she observed, filing the note in her mind for later.

She raised a tentative hand to brush her fingers against one of the pillars. It was smooth to the touch, almost slick, and the painting of a mermaid holding out a spear, her aquiline features at once strong and wise, was all that was needed to convince her fully.

'We've found it,' she breathed. 'The lost city of Atlantis.'


	2. When sleeping dragons do not lie

Padma Patil stood on the edge of the gaping maw in the ground, looking down. Her long plait whipped around in the wind, her white, airy robes protecting her from the stinging sandstorm.

'Are you going in?'

Padma turned and glared at her companion. Truth was, she'd been standing here for at least ten minutes and the others were anxious to explore the newfound tomb. Truth was, she'd always erred on the cautious side of fear. Parvati was the brave one.

At least she had been.

Padma rubbed her thumb against the cool Galleon in her pocket, feeling the faint inscription that would have long worn away if not for Hermione's magic. The fluttering in her heart calmed, to be replaced by grim determination.

Without a word, Padma drew her wand and leapt into the chasm, executing a perfect roll on impact. Her dragonhide boots flexed with her calves, and she had never been more glad of her mother's tendency to spend Galleons as if they were Knuts. A faint _oof_ behind her told her that Li and her diggers weren't far behind her.

Padma's dark eyes scanned the area, expertly spotting at least three traps pointing towards the entrance of the tomb. Chinese wizards were known to think differently to Westerners, making their tombs all the more dangerous, but Padma had a doctorate in Ancient Runes and Civilisations. She knew what to expect.

'Stay alert,' she commanded, with the kind of tone she would never have dared to use while Parvati was still aware. Her twin had always been a solid wall between Padma and the rest of the world, allowing her more fanciful sister to bury herself in her books and her stories.

Now, it was Parvati who was living in a fantasy, and Padma could only dream of finding the right healing magic to bring back her sister's mind.

Anger flared through her body, electrifying her veins before dampening itself out. Ever since Lavender was mauled by Greyback, Parvati had been a shadow of her former self, but Padma couldn't blame her for it. With steely resolve, Padma told herself to snap out of it, and took a hesitant step forwards.

Behind her, Li whispered foreign orders to her team, though Padma could guess at her meaning. Besides, she was more interested in what lay ahead.

Before her was the true entrance to the Dragon Priest's ancient temple. He had been a wonder for all to behold, according to her books. A man with extraordinary healing capabilities, but a vicious temper that was fatal to any that crossed him. He was also the only known person in Chinese history to have a dragon Animagus, symbolising the perfect symbiosis between Yin and Yang. Rumour had it that he was displeased with the Song dynasty's tendency to let its people die for their empire, and so embarked on a one-man crusade to avenge the fallen soldiers.

Needless to say, he was not successful, although rumours of one last curse were a common theme throughout literature.

With that in mind, Padma took a moment to admire the architecture of the slender snout that jutted out from the rock beyond. A serpentine tongue twisted through smooth stone canines to land at her feet, forming a path into the wonders beyond. Rubies glinted above, most likely hit with an _Engorgio_ charm to form great staring eyes and the fine strata had been extracted from the rock for the dragon's whiskers.

It screamed of a trap.

Just as she found a good-looking pebble to throw into the dragon's maw, she heard the tell-tale noise of stone grating across stone. Instinct made her throw herself to the floor, rolling away from the noise. Something whistled over her head, the wind of its passing brushing against her left ear. Then suddenly, darkness.

She was alone.

* * *

 _The chances of rescue diminish with every passing minute_. Bill Weasley's voice echoed in her mind, the first advice he gave her when helping excavate her first ruin. In the six years since she had graduated Hogwarts, she had never had to worry about that. There had always been someone trapped with her; she'd always had a method of communication. But when she drew breath to speak the Patronus Charm, she found that she couldn't remember the words.

Panic started to set in, but Padma's rational mind squared it off into a box with steely determination. If what Bill Weasley said was true — and if anyone was a survivor, it was he — then it would harm her more than anything else.

Instinctively, she curled her fingers over the worn edges of the metal in her right hand, her left still gripping her wand, for whatever use that would be.

 _Of course!_ she thought. Clutching it tightly, she remembered Neville's instructions on how to use the Protean Charm. She let an image of the D.A. blossom in her mind, the Room of Requirement taking form in all its detail — the dummies, the smell of dust as cushions hit the floor, the murmured spells stirring magic more powerful than she had ever thought herself capable of.

She tried to focus on Parvati, on her love for Lavender, a common open secret, but her mind slipped away from the pain and anger. The warmth that had been building in her hand diminished, and she quickly tried to focus on others — Harry Potter, Michael Corner, Susan Bones. Most of all, she thought of Neville's round, kindly face, of the way he visited his parents every week in the ward without fail, of how he had never told her that she had got off easy, too easy, with no right to complain.

When it felt as though the coin was burning, Padma dropped it. It wasn't much, inscribing her coordinates rather than the time and date, but it was better than nothing. Now all she could do was pray to Vishnu that someone made sense of it. She was acutely aware that she did not want to die that day.

Padma held up her wand and cast a _Lumos_ charm without thinking. To her surprise, it worked.

 _So it seems that basic spells work without incantations_ , she noted, allowing herself a shaky sigh of relief that she would not have to navigate the tomb in the dark. _Let's see what other secrets the Dragon Priest holds._

* * *

Neville was visiting Luna when he felt the burn.

Luna dropped her daisy chain, a slight frown on her features, and that's how he knew she felt it too.

Pulling the Galleon out from the simple leather cord around his neck, he watched the numbers shimmer and change, the way they hadn't since the war. He could feel the effects immediately, his hand straying to his wand, his legs jumping to his feet before he registered what was happening.

Taking a controlled breath, he glanced back at Luna, who was still sitting atop the grassy bank. She was peering intently at her coin, her dreamy eyes unusually focused.

'What is it?' he asked. 'Someone feeling sentimental? Or something more sinister?'

He was more than aware that a few Death Eaters had escaped their clutches.

 _One more year_ , he promised himself. _One more year with the Aurors, and then I'm done living in the past._

In the meantime, he clutched the fake gold Galleon in his palm and tried not to let the memories overtake him.

'Do you know anyone who would send coordinates?' Luna asked, breaking through his spiralling thoughts. He raised his eyes to see her holding her coin daintily by the corner — it looked pristine, practically untouched.

'Too many, unfortunately.' He grimaced, but Padma Patil's haunted eyes glinting with determination the last time she came to St Mungo's for her sister's appointment flashed through his mind. 'I'll run them through an atlas right now.'

Luna watched him with her luminous eyes before opening her mouth to speak. Anyone else would have protested, told him to alert someone in case of a trap, told him to wait until they found out more.

'I'll take care of the tea,' she said instead, and Neville was reminded why their friendship was still strong. 'You can look through Dad's old maps from his search for the Hallows.'

* * *

When Neville finally reached the right spot — it had taken three misdirections before he eventually plotted out a safe journey, including no less than eight different Apparitions — he found himself in the middle of a desert.

The first thing he noticed was the dust. It was hard not to, and Neville ended up having to cast a Bubblehead Charm twice: once to allow himself to see, and once without the side-effect of spluttering every syllable.

The second thing he noticed was the large hole in the ground before him. It was man-made, he noted, battle-trained eyes scanning the area for details. If there was any confirmation that the message had been sent from Padma Patil, this was it. The edges were cut in precise lines, ones that would suit an archaeological profession.

 _But why call on the Galleon?_ he wondered. _What went so wrong the D.A. was the only place she could turn for help?_

Cautiously, Neville leapt into the chasm, flexing his knees to spread out the impact. Immediately, he drew his wand.

' _Protego_ ,' he whispered, in case anyone was still around to hear him.

Several bodies lay around the opening. The nearest looked to have been shot with some sort of bolt; a trigger defense? He picked his way across the debris of stone towards another corpse. This one seemed charred, as if burned alive. But that couldn't be right. Even Fiendyfire took a while to set in, and this person's face was etched in a mask of surprise, not horror. They had died without pain.

A cry ahead pulled him out of his search. Survivors were always the priority in situations like these. Casting a quick _Muffliato_ on his shoes, Neville sprinted around the side of the rock towards the noise.

'Help!' they called — a woman, from the sound of it.

'Where are you?' Neville asked, scanning the area. Even with the Bubblehead Charm, the dust storm was making it hard to see.

The coughing fit that ensued brought him to her position as surely as any shout. A small Chinese woman lay in front of him, her leg outstretched. A bolt as thick as his wrist was embedded in her thigh, and the large rock laying across her calves made it impossible for her to move. A scarf was tied around her mouth and nose, her almond eyes scrunched against the sand.

Automatically, Neville's hand snapped into motion, casting another protective charm around her face so she could breathe before turning his attention to her injuries. Levitating the boulder away, he met her eyes. Her nod was all the permission he needed. Bracing one hand around the bolt, he slowly tugged it out, attempting not to rip anything else on the way out. He cast as many appropriate healing spells as he could, but the blood didn't seem to want to staunch.

'It's cursed,' the woman said, and Neville noticed her slight accent for the first time. 'Help me up.'

He complied, and she drew her wand. It lit with a strange orange light, and for a fleeting moment, Neville wondered if it was the Chinese version of _Lumos_. Then, closing her eyes, she stabbed down into her wound, a muffled cry escaping her lips as it cauterised.

Neville had time only to blink in shock before she dragged herself to her feet, tying her now useless scarf around her wounded leg.

'Padma's inside,' she said, her voice grim. 'Let's not waste any more time.'

* * *

Padma crept forwards as silently as she could. The truth was, she had always been quiet, but never quiet enough. What she lacked in stealth, she made up for with her quick reactions and ever cautious eyes. It was these qualities that allowed her to avoid the traps up ahead. She nimbly sidestepped pressure plates that looked too unworn to be part of the pathway, no matter how well they were concealed, but kept her eyes peeled. The Dragon Priest did not decimate the Emperor's army with simply pressure plates.

Soon enough, she reached her destination — a seemingly simple archway if not for the writing on the walls. Chinese numerals glowed around the doorway, weaving wards so strong they were almost opaque. Padma cursed inwardly. Arithmancy had never been her strongest subject, even with the proper materials. These would take days to decipher, days she did not have.

Closing her eyes in disappointment, she made to turn back, to find a different tunnel, maybe test out which spells she could use to dig a way out of here. But she stopped in her tracks, white hot anger surprising her as it blazed through her body.

Parvati wouldn't have stopped because of a simple ward. Parvati had leapt fearlessly into battle at Hogwarts, faltering only when she saw Lavender's impossibly mangled body by the stairs. Never mind that Padma had also been injured in the fray, subjected to the Cruciatus Curse the Death Eaters were all so fond of.

It had taken her weeks to recover, but her sister had never visited.

A snide voice slithered into her mind, asking her why she was sacrificing so much for the sister that cared more about a girl she had known for seven years than a sister she had shared a womb with. Why should she care?

Padma clenched her jaw, digging her nails into her palm. This anger wasn't like her. She had long since buried her jealousy, accepting that something in Pav's brain had snapped, that there was something damaged within her. It wasn't Pav's fault.

She shoved her free hand into her pocket to stop the shaking, and her fingers brushed against the fake Galleon once more. Channeling her anger into one point, Padma did something she had never done in her life.

She charged.

The spell felt like icy water breaking over her head, a tidal wave that swept the anger back into the corner of her heart where it belonged. It was then that Padma realised that it was all part of the defenses to dissuade visitors.

 _Idiot_ , she thought. As a Ravenclaw, she should have known better than to fall for that trick.

Suddenly, all thoughts of what she should know drained from her mind as her gaze was drawn to a figure detaching itself from the wall.

The Dragon Priest.

* * *

Neville blasted away the rock as Li climbed the dragon's maw to pocket what seemed like a clear, shining jewel. At his frown, the archaeologist gave him a half-smile and a shrug.

'These used to be rubies,' she explained. 'Then the fire came. I've never seen magic drain the colour from an object before; they'll want to study this back at the Shanghai Institute.'

Relieved that he hadn't been duped and stumbled upon a graverobber, Neville gave her a short nod before turning his attention back to the tomb.

Despite the cave-in, the dragon appeared untouched. Each tooth was as smooth as marble, though on closer inspection, Neville realised they were hollow. Li winced, and with a jolt, Neville remembered the bolts embedded in the bodies they had left behind. This was no ordinary trigger mechanism. The bolts had been tailored to find human flesh.

He glanced behind him once before entering the smooth tunnel beyond. Traces of Padma's passing were evident — a patch in the rubble where she must have fallen, boot marks in the dust.

' _Homenum Revelio_ ,' he intoned, but nothing happened. It was as if he hadn't even cast the spell.

'Magic won't work here,' Li whispered, as if afraid to let the tunnel know of their existence. 'No one knows why.'

'A dampening field,' Neville said quietly, his voice filled with awe.

The Department of Mysteries was working on unlocking that secret after the devastation of the war. Neville only knew because he had stumbled upon the senior Aurors testing it. Eight of them had to cast the spell, and even then it had only worked within a three foot radius. For this one to be so strong after so many millennia… Neville shook his head. It didn't matter how strong his opponent was. Everyone had thought Voldemort invincible. Instead, he was proof that no one was impossible to defeat.

'Let's get moving,' he muttered.

Li needed no further prompting, telling him to step in Padma's footsteps. They were the only sure places to walk, so long as they didn't come across the young woman's body.

Neville forced that thought from his mind.

Soon enough, the murmured sound of voices came from up ahead. As they rounded the corner, Li gasped in surprise.

Padma was facing a man in sweeping gold robes, a breastplate of dragon scales glinting in the half-light. His long hair was bound beneath a simple circlet of gold, and Neville shuddered at the wisdom in his eyes. This was a man who had killed and been killed. Who had healed and inflicted pain without discrimination. This was a man for whom life held no mysteries.

A man who could heal his parents.

Without thinking, Neville stepped up, raising his wand. The Dragon Priest's gaze flitted to him, and Padma turned, her dark eyes widening as her hands splayed out in the universal gesture of peace.

'Neville, wait!' she cried. 'He's going to help!'

'And that's why he's booby-trapped this entire place?' Neville scoffed, his wand still trained on the ancient wizard.

'It wasn't him,' Padma replied quietly. 'The Emperor had him buried alive. The only reason he's still here is because his dragon Animagus can survive for centuries without food. Our coming here broke the wards chaining him to this place.'

Neville glanced back to the Dragon Priest. His whole body language screamed of peace, but the malicious glint in his eyes betrayed him. Whatever deal this ancient wizard wanted to make with Padma, it did not bode well for the rest of wizardkind.

* * *

HPHG, Word: Impossible, Emotion: Anger, Character: Neville Longbottom, Genre: Angst, Pairing: Parvati/Lavender

QL prompt: The Mummy - Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Hogwarts: Geography - write about the discovery of an ancient tomb

Mary Poppins - C5: write about a woman fighting for power

Showtime - 13. Gold

Amber's Attic - T2: write about someone important to your main character

Lyric Alley - 23. We are warriors

Ami's Audio Admirations - 6. Write a fic where the main theme is not about romance.

Em's Emporium - 4. Sam: Feature dragons in your story.

Lo's Lowdown - 8. Character: Luna Lovegood

Bex's Bazaar - D1: write about someone making the best of a bad situation.

Ravenclaw Garage Sale - 11. Coin

Snape Appreciation challenge - S2, 5: write a post-war fic

International Peace Day: Write about the aftermath of a war

Seasonal Colour prompt: gold

Elemental - Fire: (word) blaze

Shay's musical challenge: 11. write about caring for someone who lost a loved one.

Gryffindor Challenge: (character) Parvati Patil, (trait) adventurous, (colour) gold


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